UN arms treaty blocked by Iran, North Korea and Syria

Iran, North Korea and Syria have blocked what would have been the world's
first treaty to control the $60 billion a year arms trade.

Syria is in the third year of a conflict that has escalated to civil warPhoto: AFP

By Agencies

2:21AM GMT 29 Mar 2013

The draft treaty, which was put before the UN member states for a vote, prohibited the sale or transfer of arms that could lead to acts of genocide, crimes against humanity or war crimes.

Supporters of the treaty admitted the final draft was not perfect and included several loopholes, but it was still regarded as an important first step in dealing with the unregulated and illicit global trade in conventional weapons.

But after two weeks of negotiations the treaty failed to pass the vote.

"This is not a failure, today is success deferred and deferred by not very long," Britain's chief negotiator, Jo Adamson, said.

The British Government has been a major supporter of the Arms Trade Treaty, arguing in part that the playing field needs to be levelled between the rigorous standards of UK exporters and less scrupulous states. The British arms industry has supported the treaty.

The Foreign Secretary, William Hague, said: "I am deeply disappointed that the negotiations on an Arms Trade Treaty closed today without consensus. After 7 years of intensive work, the international community had never had a better chance to agree a global, legally binding Treaty that would make the world a safer place.

"We have come very close. It is disappointing that three countries blocked the historic agreement that lay within our reach.

Mr Hague said he would continue to push for the treaty to be adopted.

"The UK will not rest until we have secured an effective global Arms Trade Treaty.”

Kate Allen, director of Amnesty International, said: "It is a good treaty. If Amnesty had been drafting it, it would have been stronger, but it has good protection on human rights, which was our golden rule."

Anna Macdonald, Oxfam's expert on arms control, said the scope of the weapons covered was too narrow. It excluded military helicopters and grenades.

"We need a treaty that will make a difference to the lives of the people living in Congo, Mali, Syria and elsewhere who suffer each day from the impacts of armed violence."

The inclusion of ammunition was a key issue in the debate. The US, which exports $4 billion worth of ammunition a year, defeated an earlier attempt at negotiations in the summer.

In a compromise, the treaty called for countries to establish regulations for the export of ammunition "fired, launched or delivered" by the weapons covered by the convention.

India and other countries insisted that the treaty have an opt-out for government arms transfers under defence cooperation agreements.

This was the second attempt in eight months to get countries with very different interests behind an Arms Trade Treaty.